Nigerian chess champion and child education advocate, Tunde Onakoya has broken the Guinness World Record for the longest chess marathon played chess nonstop after playing for more than 60 hours in New York City’s Times Square.
The 29-year-old on Wednesday 17th April 2024 had set out to play the royal game for 58 hours with the hope of raising $1 million for children’s education across Africa however after hitting the record, the Chess master continued until he reached 60 hours at about 12:40 a.m. Saturday 20th April 2024, surpassing the current chess marathon record of 56 hours, 9 minutes, and 37 seconds, achieved in 2018 by Norwegians Hallvard Haug Flatebø and Sjur Ferkingstad.
Onakoya who has gathered enough support both virtually and on-site has played against Shawn Martinez, an American chess champion, in line with Guinness World Record guidelines that any attempt to break the record must be made by two players who would play continuously for the entire duration.
For every hour of game played, Onakoya and his opponent got only five minutes’ break. The breaks were sometimes grouped, and Onakoya used them to catch up with Nigerians and New Yorkers cheering him on. He even joined in with their dancing sometimes.
The Guinness World Record organization has yet to comment about Onakoya’s attempt publicly. It sometimes takes weeks for the organization to confirm any new record.
A total of $22,000 was raised within the first 20 hours of the attempt, said Taiwo Adeyemi, Onakoya’s manager.
“The support has been overwhelming from Nigerians in the U.S., global leaders, celebrities and hundreds of passersby,” he said.
